Apparatus for pickling metal



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

-(No Model.)

G. MESTA.

APPARATUS POR PIGKLING METAL. v

(No Model.)

1 s Sheets-sheet 3. G. MESTA. APPARATUS FOR PICKLING METAL.

110. 510,697. Patented Dec. 12,1893.

y UNrrEDA STATES PATENT EEicE.

APPARATUS FOR PICKLING METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 510,697, dated'yDecember 1893. I Application tiled March 2l, 1898. lSerial No. 467,018. (No model.) i

ToaZZ whom zt-may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE MEsTA, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal-Pickling Appara-- tus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is designed to provide improved means for pickling and washing metal plates or other material, and its object is to improve and simplify the mechanism and to increase its efliciency. It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which`- Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, including the vats. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing one of the vats. Fig. 3 is an end, elevation; and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are side elevations of modified constructions.

The machine affords necessarily three mechanical motions, a vertical lifting motion by which the crates carrying the metal plates can be lifted from and introduced into the vats, a rotary motion by which they may be valve 5, whose operating rod 6 may extend to' a platform 7 set near to the top of the cylinder, so as to be in a convenient position for the operator. The plunger carries a j ib. 8 whose arms extend radiallyin. opposite directions. The crate-agitating device is constructed so that in acting it shall bebalanced by the crates themselves, t'. e., so that as one crate is raised, the other is lowered, and that.y

by reason of the balance thus caused, the crates can be moved easily and with the expenditure of but little power. Various means may be employed for this purpose. I show one form in Figs. l, 2, vand 3, consisting of a double-acting power-cylinder 9, set on the jib and having a fluid supply pipe 9 and a piston with rods or plungers l0 projecting from both ends thereof. This piston is caused to reciprocate by means hereinafter described, and asthe crates are suspended by chains 11 extending from the rods over` sheaves at the ends of the j ib, the crates are caused to move up and down alternately with reference to each other, the gravity of the descending crate counterbalancing the other and assisting in its motion. The only work done by the cylinder is therefore exerted in overcoming-the friction of the moving parts and the dierence in Weight between the loaded crates, and the motion is made-easy without jar. The reciprocation of the piston may be elfected automatically by a valve, which may be an ordinary slide valve, whose valvechamber is marked 12 in the drawings, the valve-stern 13 being connected by tappets 14, and levers 15, (in the manner usual in steam pumps or otherwise,) with the piston rod l0, so that at the end of each stroke the valve is automatically reversed and the piston caused to movev back. I prefer to derive the motive fluid for the cylinder 9 fromV the 'samelsource as that of the cylinder 2, and for that purpose I connect the inlet ports of the valve-chamber with a hollow passage 3 in the plunger 3, and provide the plunger with a lateral port 16, which, at the lowest position, communicates with an inlet-port 17 controlled by a valve 18, whose operating rod may extend to the platform 7. By opening .this valve, when the plunger is at its lowest position, motive fluid is admitted to the valvechamber 12, and the piston rods 10 are caused to reciprocate, and when the plunger 3 is' raised the fluid supply is cut oft' automatically by disconnection ofthe ports 16 and 17. 32 is the steam supply pipe for the cylinder 9.

-In order to cushion .the motion of the piston vof the cylinder 9, I may employ a liquidfilled dash-pot-cylinder 19 through which one of the rods 10 passes and in which it is provided with a piston-head. The ends of this IOO through said pipe, the speed of motion of the piston being governed by setting the valve 2l and depending for its rate upon the size of the port-openin g afforded by that valve. This device constitutes an eicient means for stopping the reciprocating action of the rod l0, for it the-valve 21 be closed it is obvious that the motion of said rod will be instantly arrested.

22 and 23 are the vats. These are set parallel to each other on opposite sides of the apparatus, and separated su'hiciently to enable two crates 24, suspended from the chains l1 atthe ends of the jib, to operate within them. One of the vats contains an acid pickle, and the other contains water for washing the pickled sheets of metal. They are preferably provided with suitable upright guides to steady the crates in their reciprocation.

The operation is is as follows:-Tl1ejib being in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. l with the crates suspended therefrom, and uhe crates having been filled with metal plates intended to be pickled and washed, the j ib is raised by admitting water into thc cylinder 2 and elevating the plunger 3 until the crates areabove the level of the vats. The jib may then be turned by hand power or otherwise, turning the plunger 3 within its cylinder, until the crates are directly above the vats. The motive iiuid is then exhausted from the cylinderA 2, and this permits the plunger to descend and causes the crates to be lowered into the liquid in the vats. Then by operation of the valves the piston-rod 10 is caused to reciprocate, and, as above described, acting with a short stroke, alternately raises and lowers the crates within the vats, producing an agitation of the liquid contents and causing the same to act thoroughly on the surfaces of the plates.` When this operation has continued sufficiently long,

agitating operation abovedescribed isv re` peated, with the eect of pickling the plates in one crate and washing the plates in the other. After this operation, the jib is raised again, the agitation stopped, and the jib is swung around into the position shown by the dottedline and lowered. The crate containing the washed plates is then detached,and acrate charged with plates to be pickled substituted therefor. The jib is then raised and swung radially so as to bring the crate with the fresh plates to the pickling vat and thc crate with the pickled plates to the water vat. The operations above described are then repeated, and after each pickling and washing the-jib is brought to the position shown by dotted lines, and a new crate substituted for the i crate having the Washed plates.

The operations of the apparatus as thus dcscribed may be conducted very rapidly, and the ease of motion occasioned by the balancing of the agitating mechanism greatly enhances the operation. I derive an advantage from the use of two vats set parallel with each other and on opposite sides ot' the apparatus, leaving the middle clear for the loading and unloading of the crates, and as this arrangement is new I intend to claim it broadly.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I show modified constructions of my apparatus, also designed to effect the balancing of the agitating mechanism by the crates themselves. In Fig..4- this 'consists of a drum 25, set on the jib,and provided with a motor, not shown, adapted to give it an oscillating motion of short extent. The chains 11 which support the crates, are connected and are passed around the drum, so that its' oscillation shall producea short reciprocation of the crates, which` act to balance each other. In Fig. 5 I show the' crates suspended from crank-pins 26 set atopposite points on a rotatoryshaft 27,.which.is journaled on the jib and extends fromendz to'end thereof. This shaft is rotatedr by an engine 28 on the jib, and as the crank-pins are set opposite to each other, suchrotation will produce an alternate reciprocation of thecrates, which counterbalanceeach other in their motions, andrender the operation of the shaft very easy. In Fig. 6 I show the jib pivoted at a middle point 29, withthe crates suspended directly from its ends. The jib is rocked on its pivot 29 by a motor connected with the jib by crank-and-pitman mechanismll. Vhen the jib is rocked, the crates will be reciprocated alternately` and will balancefeach other in their motions.

Other modifications of my improved apparatus will suggest themselvesto those skilled inithe art.

I claim- 1. In pickling. or cleaning apparatus, the combination with a substantially. horizontal beam, having. an intermediate support, ot' crates suspended from the beam on either side of said support andl meansfor reciprocating the crates simultaneously in` opposite directions substantially as described. i

2. In pickling or cleaning apparatus,- the combination with a` rotary beam having4 an intermediate support, ot" two crates carried thereon, and means for reciprocating the crates simultaneously in opposite directions, whereby they continuously counterbalauce each other; substantially-as described.

3. The combination with al beam carried upon a motor arranged to raise and lower the same, of crates suspendedfrom the beam on IOO 4. The.combination of a lifting motor havmeans for .vertcallyrtiiting said beam on its Io ing a rotatory jib carried thereon, crates suscentral pivot; substantially as described. pended from said jib, vats registering withJ In testimony whereof I have hereunto set the crates, eind means for reciprocating the `my hand.

5 crates simu taneously in opposite directions.

5. In pickling or cleaning apparatils, the y GEORGE MESTA combination withl a 1itting'device5 of arotaryV Witnesses: beam centrally pivoted thereto, crates hung THOMAS W. BAKEWELL, from the opposite ends of said bearn,lanfl W; B. 'CORWIN. 

